I have the Hussefelt crank and have had no problems what-so-ever. I did upgrade my bash guard with a gravity one though. Pretty burly crank and BB, if you are a weight weenie that will damper your spirits.

If you look around you can find better deals "with" a Howitzer Bottom Bracket for cheaper. The Howitzer BB is like $30-$45 bucks most places. SO take that one from Pricepoint and add the bottom bracket you are in the $100's.

Here is one on ebay for $80 with free shipping and the BOTTOM BRACKET!

Unforunately I'm looking to stick with the 24/36 or 22/36 setup. You can find the 22/32 Hussefelts for so cheap!

I was also thinking about the FireX, but being as it comes standard on the Mission 2 and all my friends told me that I would regret not buying the 2 over the 1 (which i am), Im going to hear **** haha. However, the price might just lead me to buy it.

If I can find the 24/36 Hussfelt and BB for a good price I'll probably snag it. The weight doesn't really bother me as I abuse the crap out of my bike, and strength is more important than weight

I used to have the Fire X before I upgraded to SLX. The difference in stiffness was very noticeable to me. I say avoid Fire X. It's probably strong enough, but too flexy. And that's coming from someone who usually doesn't complain about flex...

The SLX bash guard is built like a tank. I've banged mine on countless rocks and fallen trees. It still looks great after 2 years. No cracks or broken bits. Just scratches and dents. Most of my riding buddies have SLX or Saint cranks on their AM/FR bikes, and none have failed yet.

Blue Sky has a special on the Shimano SLX Chainset (crankset) Double M665 , 9 speed, 22 X 36 for about $119 plus shipping - includes bottom bracket. I just got it and put it on my 2011 Mission 2 - love it, never going back to a triple! You will want the correct front derailleur, Shimano FD-M665 SLX - got mine at Universal Cycles for $52.00. This setup requires the SGS rear derailleur, not the shorter GS, if you are using a 11/34 rear cog as per Shimano specs.

Thanks miniwise you just answered my question. That's a great deal on the slx crankset, I'll probably snag it this weekend. I'm assuming it'll integrate fine with my current SRAM setup. I was thinking about going 10 speed but I think 9 speed with still be relevant and much cheaper for the next 2 years at least.

Smarter than Shimano?

Originally Posted by miniwisejosh

The SLX M665 front derailleur is nice (I have one), but it isn't necessary. Any normal 3 speed FD will work fine.

As per Shimano:

SLX Front Derailleurs are offered in many configurations to suit a range of MTB frame styles. Models FD-M660 and FD-M661 suit triple chainring cranksets, while models FD-M665 and FD-M667 are designed specifically for Mountain Compact cranksets.

That is why any front derailleur will NOT work just fine. If you want to deal with chain drops go for it. if you wrench long enough you will find that sticking with the mfg's recommended front derailleur for a given crankset makes for the least amount of problems and is well worth the initial extra investment.

Yes, I have one. It's ISCG-05. You'll need to add a small cassette spacer (maybe 1mm thick) behind the driveside bottom bracket cup, otherwise the Stinger bolts will rub the granny chainring bolts. Most shops should have that spacer in stock or in a parts bin.

I love Flow rims. They are a sweet combination of light, wide, and tubeless. Mine are set up with the yellow rim tape, and I've had no issues setting up various tubeless ready and UST tires. I'm even able to pump them up with a floor pump. Mid-size tires (2.2-2.4) have a nice, fat profile when inflated because of the rim width and design.

Strength has been better than I expected given the low weight. My first rear wheel lasted almost 2 years of abuse, and was still in good enough shape to sell when I got my current rear wheel (upgraded to a Hadley hub). I still have the original front wheel, and it's running strong. Flows are not bombproof though. I've gotten several dents from banging through rock gardens. Luckily none of them were big enough to ruin tubeless sealing, but I don't think a Flow rim used for frequent lift-access riding will last more than a season except with a light, smooth rider. That won't be a problem for you since the Mission frame won't last long under those conditions either.

Be alert with spoke tension if you go with Flows. That's true for all rims, but especially these because they don't have eyelets. Going too much over 100kg on spoke tension will crack the rim and eventually yank the nipples right through. That's something to keep in mind if you ever have them trued at a shop.